HAVANA ā Miguel Diaz-Canel, a disciplined Marxist and former university professor,Ā is Raul Castro'sĀ successor. His official confirmation will be announced on Thursday.
Here is what you need to know about the Cuban National Assembly's 57-year-old sole candidate:
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Born after the Cuban revolutionĀ
He was born in the province of Villa Clara, andĀ earned an electrical engineering degree fromĀ the Universidad CentralĀ Marta AbreuĀ deĀ Las Villas in 1982.Ā
After completing his three years of obligatory military service in the Revolutionary Armed Forces'Ā anti-aircraft missile unit, Diaz-CanelĀ returned to Santa Clara andĀ joined the UniĆ³n de JĆ³venes Comunistas, a political organization founded in 1962.
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Image is radically different from Fidel CastroĀ
Ramon Silveiro, an LGBTQĀ activist in Santa Clara, told Reuters the father of twoĀ was among the political leaders who supported the cultural activities of the El Club Menjunje, a haven for LGBTQĀ bohemians in Santa Clara. He was known for his long hair and riding his bicycle, The Guardian reported.Ā
After a year of working for the Communist Party in Villa Clara, he served as a provincial committee party leader until he was named first secretary of the province of Holguin in 2003.Ā He divorced his first wife and later wed Lis Cuesta Peraza.Ā
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Raul Castro's hand-picked loyalist
In 2009,Ā Raul Castro ordered him to move from Holguin to Havana to become his higher education minister and about four years later entrustedĀ him with his market-oriented reforms as vice-president.Ā
There were concerns among Cubans in Miami about a leaked video in whichĀ Diaz-CanelĀ accusedĀ diplomats from the U.S., Britain, Germany, Spain and Norway of "subversive activity" and said the final objective of the U.S. was to "destroy the revolution."
Juan Hidalgo, a CATO Institute analyst, saidĀ Diaz-Canel is just warming the seat for Castro's 52-year-old son, Alejandro Castro Espin, a colonel in the interior ministry who was not nominated to the National Assembly, according to Newsweek. Hidalgo is among the experts who believe Castro EspinĀ is protecting his father and will take over in 2021.
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a former Republican representative from Florida,Ā believesĀ the transition is of little significance and referred to Diaz-Canel as a "servant" of the Castros, whileĀ comparing him to Osvaldo Dorticos, a loyal Fidel Castro follower whoĀ served as Cuban presidentĀ from 1959 until 1976.Ā
The Cuban government asked Cubans to use the hash tag "SomosĀ Continuidad," Spanish for "We are Continuity," to discuss the transition on social media.Ā Oswaldo Paya'sĀ daughter Rosa Maria Paya, referred to the process to elect Diaz-Canel as theater.Ā
"Just one candidate proposed," she tweeted.Ā